headlight lens restoration kit?

[Zippy98]

My headlight lenses are really foggy looking (all on the outside, from 11 years of being on the road I's guess) and I got the Turtlewax headlight restorer kit - haven't opened it yet,just wondering if anyone has tried this process with success and/or had any tips on how best to go about it?

[_goREDgo_]

i was just telling my hubby that i need to clean Red's lenses before i put my mean eyelids on. please keep us informed!!! pics would be nice but that's just me

[armyssg401]

Try using the turtle wax first. What I did was get extremely fine sandpaper, and some high strength cleaner. Pour the cleaner over the sandpaper and proceed to wet-sand your headlight. It wont leave any scratches because the sandpaper is so fine, and the cleaner will take off all that junk while leaving an extremely shiny sexy looking headlight =]

[Beetlescott]

I tried the fine sandpaper and the liquid cleaner on my wife's Jeep last Summer and, unfortunately, it didn't work. I ended up making a bigger mess than I started out with. I bought some lenses and replaced them. Please let me know how it works on your bug, as Ernie has minor fogging, very much less than the Jeep. Good luck!

[Crazy_MoFo]

I wet sanded(using soapy water in a spray bottle) with 600grit and finished with 1500grit. I should have finished off with 2500grit but nobody around here carried anything above 1500 and the closest place that has 2500grit was an hour away. Anyhow, when they were dry obviously they were opaque(SP?) and foggy. At this stage some people polish them, I didn't. I just sprayed them with this stuff:


RustOleum.com

and it cleared the headlamps up

[noR]

I've had great results using Novus #2.
Novus Plastic Polish

I picked up a small bottle from the local Harley Davidson shop. It's a great polish made for clear plastics.

[FarrisK]

Important recomendation: Remove the headlights before you start sanding them... or make sure you tape off the paint really REALLY well.

[Cooky]

Just use it yesterday and it worked great. In less than 10 min it pulled almost all of it up on one side. All you will need is about 30 min and make sure they are good and clean first. I use a old t-shirt and it buffed out great. Looks almost new.

Cooky

[alf56]

It looks like the inside of my headlights are hazy also, how hard is it to get to the inside of them?

[RADMAN]

There is a new product that has just been released. Its called GSS-Headlight Lens Restorer. I used this product and did a dozen cars. There is no drill, sandpaper, or taping off paint. You simply use a cloth or pad to apply to the lens, rub in a circular motion until completely rubbed in, then use a micro fiber cloth to polish. It took less than 3 minutes per car and they look brand new. Go to gssgreenproduct.com to get info. Great product!

[Kukymc]

I used the turtle wax restoration kit yesterday! it worked like a charm. i dont know about having to tape off the paint but it sounds wise. I had my headlights out to install a HID kit.

[nighttrain1974]

Meguiars ultimate compound, works a treat on them.

[Nicoliae]

I just used the turtle wax kit on one of my headlights. I had replaced the passenger side and wanted the 10 year old drivers side to match it a little better. I'm trying to save money & not replace the drivers side too. All of my fog is on the outside of the lenses. I think the kit worked great for the price. They still don't match (wasn't expecting them to) but at least it's not as noticeable. I recommend lots of time and a nice cool day when trying to do this. It was about 70 outside when I did mine and it was still too hot to take my time. I have leftover solution so I'm going to buy some more fine grit sand paper and try again in the fall.

Some pictures for comparison:

New one:


Old one before:


Old one after:


All in all, worth the money to me and this kit would be great if you just had yellowing. I hope this helps someone who's interested doing theirs.

[peanutsmom]

Smurfette's headlights are really foggy.. But its so hot that I would like to pull them out and come inside to do this project. Is it really hard to get the head lights out. Keep in mind that myself and our 8yr old daughter will be doing this so maybe some step by steps for us would be great.. She is a 98.. Lights are really foggy.. Thanks guys and gals..

[Supercharged98]

Originally Posted by peanutsmom

Smurfette's headlights are really foggy.. But its so hot that I would like to pull them out and come inside to do this project. Is it really hard to get the head lights out. Keep in mind that myself and our 8yr old daughter will be doing this so maybe some step by steps for us would be great.. She is a 98.. Lights are really foggy.. Thanks guys and gals..

Then Turtle Wax resto kit is for you. They have step by step directions. Taking out the headlight assemblies can be a pain, I wouldn't suggest it to anyone. I left mine in without any problems. And, if it gets too hot, just stop and cool off, then just respray the lense and pick up where you left off.

[xnology]

I have good success with the wet sanding technique. Turned out great on my daughter's Jetta.

Before:



During:



After:



Yes I know. Her car was filthy before we started...

I have ended up doing a bunch of cars for friends and family.

[UnderPressure]

I tried out Permatex's Headlight Lens Restoration Kit.

Check it out...

Yellow-eyed bug


Pass side


Taped off


After


Mid-way through


Driver side after


Mission accomplished

[Smileybug]

Picked up the Turtle Wax kit for $10 at Autozone. Decided to go at the headlights last night. Turned out great! I left the lights on the car to spare the headlight gaskets and it worked just fine. I think it took longer to tape off the headlights than the do the cleaning. But they are pretty dang clear now, and the light output is definitely much improved. I'm keeping the bottle of the lens restoring compound to use every few months to keep them in good shape. Not a bad deal for $10. Hopefully will get the pics up later once I get home from work.

[armandjones82]

Those were nice pictures of the Headlight Lens Restoration with the use of many things there. I'd like to use the wax itself to really see how does it cleans my Headlight Lens on a car. Good thing, I read this one in order for me to learn things about it!

[emilybrooke]

To be honest, this stuff is great... I got it at Autozone, I believe... about $6-7... I used it on my Jeep and also on my Beetle's paint in a few areas. It works great for clearcoat scratches as well as headlight yellowing.